How
by Microsuede Mouse
Summary: A reflection on how exactly Charlie fell in love with Laney. / Charlaney. Companion to 'Why', can be read separately.


Yoooo I'm on a roll. Companion piece to 'Why', but they can be read separately or in whatever order. Like the other one, this references several real episodes as well as situations I've made up. Also I know it doesn't follow QUITE the same formula that 'Why' did but shhhh

Reviews would be super, if you have the time. Otherwise: enjoy

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How had Charlie fallen in love with Laney?

Well, that was a hard question to answer. In fact, not even he could be sure; though if you asked him, he'd frown and tip his head to one side and ask you, "How could I not?"

Perhaps he hadn't so much _fallen_ in love. No, it was something else, probably. Charlie wasn't terribly prone to falling, as goofy as he could be. Maybe she had directed him into it, however inadvertently, when she'd happily taken upon herself the job as his manager. She had helped him handle his viral video fame, not only arranging his appearances but also serving as a constant source of support and encouragement. The look of admiration in her eyes when she watched him during those few days was one that always made him feel the need to stop, swallow, calm his heartbeat. But no, 'directed' wasn't the right word; it sounded too deliberate, almost devious.

Maybe he had built love with her, in the school basement, the day they had spent creating an exciting new robot together. She had helped him find a lab coat, and critiqued his mad scientist laugh, and passed him his sandwich when he needed a bite. And of course, her help with the robot itself had been invaluable. Sure, Charlie was great with electronics and machines, and sure, he'd already built one robot, but it still wouldn't have gotten far without her. This thing had been of another class entirely. And when they had been leaning over their sketches on the table, he'd been able to watch her enthusiasm, smile at her, listen as she talked eagerly about pioneering an entirely new technology. There was nothing like watching the young genius in her element. Her innocent excitement and boundless creativity and innovation were a perfect match for him.

Maybe he'd gotten caught up in love with her, when he'd asked her to look after his monkey Clyde for the day and come back in the afternoon to find that she had cleverly trapped the rascal in Mr. Denovi's office. Clyde had been so badly behaved lately. Or maybe it had been the next day when, filled with guilt, Laney had taken Charlie aside and confessed to having lost Clyde all day; his getting trapped in the office had just been an accident. But he couldn't be mad, especially not at her – she was so sweet, so honest, and so _upset_. He laughed, and gave her a hug, and told her not to worry about it.

Maybe he had danced into love with her on the day of the solar eclipse, which he'd been planning to use to travel back in time to the 1930s. In his attempts to prepare himself for a different era, he had asked Laney if she knew any 30s dances – and as luck would have it, she did. It was, funnily enough, called the Charleston, and she spent almost an hour helping him learn it. As they shuffled back and forth across the studio floor, he looked at the smile on her face and couldn't help but return it. Watching her dance and giggle as he stumbled, he thought to himself, _I might just miss her most._

Maybe his love had been freed from inside him the day Laney had tried to help bust him out of detention with Ms. Stonebreaker. Earlier that day, she and Victoria had come to see the boys during visiting hours, and Charlie – miserable – had reached imploringly across the table toward them. He didn't really belong in detention, and he couldn't handle Ms. Stonebreaker's cruelty. Laney had placed her hand comfortingly on top of his, gently rubbing his fingers for a moment before Warty had reminded her that contact with prisoners was forbidden. Despite the briefness of the touch and the direness of his situation, Charlie's stomach had turned upside down and his heart had pounded hard. Later, when she and Victoria had been thrown into detention themselves, and he found out why, he was touched. That innocent little Laney had risked herself to help him and the others was just so sweet to him; he made a mental note to give her a big hug later.

Maybe no one would ever quite figure out how it happened, but there was no denying it did. To Charlie it seemed so natural, so easy. In fact, the progression was _so_ very normal to him that he didn't even realize no one else knew it was happening.

He stayed nearer to her when he could, because it seemed like the thing to do. He paid attention to her, to what she said, to what she was doing – at least, he gave it his best shot. He wasn't always good at paying attention. But if she was elbow-deep in science and her hair was falling in her face, he would brush it behind her ears, because obviously that made her work easier. And if she said something that made him think of how wonderful she was, he'd tell her what he was thinking.

Like the night they'd spent stargazing one August, and he'd starting watching her instead – because she was beautiful – and she'd told him, "We're supposed to be watching the stars," and he'd simply responded, "They're not all in the sky." Because they weren't.

If she had nowhere to sit, he would pull her into his lap, because that just seemed right, and if they were walking together, he would hold her hand, because it just felt right, and if the gang went out for ice cream or pizza, he'd be sure to sit with her with an arm around her shoulders, because it made him happy. He loved her, he knew that, and he thought everyone else knew as well, because to him it was as plain as day.

He loved her big, creative brain, and the way she found wonder in things he would never have thought to look at that way. She saw science everywhere, and she was delighted with it, and that constant sense of amazement delighted him. Never had he met anyone who could be as distracted with average things as much as he could. He loved her incredible ideas, and the way she could come up with innovative new processes or products that could probably change the world. He loved the way that sometimes she figured these things out by accident. He loved her childlike innocence and honesty and her genuine desire to make other people happier.

One day the two of them had been the only ones left in the studio; he was working on some new sound effects for the show. Laney had called out that she was on her way out, and he looked up from his computer and smiled at her. "Oh, wait," he'd said, and he'd gotten out of his chair and hopped over to where she was to kiss her quickly and tell her, "I love you, see you tomorrow."

She froze and stared at him, and then she'd asked, "What?"

Thinking perhaps she hadn't heard him, he'd repeated himself. "I love you, see you tomorrow."

"Since when?" she had asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, tomorrow is Tuesday, and I usually see you on Tuesday, don't I?" he'd responded, frowning.

"No, I mean," she stammered, "since when do you love me?"

Confused, he'd frowned even more deeply and asked, "You didn't know?" Now that he thought about it, he hadn't said it before, but that was just because he had thought she always knew.

Laney had blushed and shaken her head. "No. I had no idea."

"Oh," he'd said simply, taken aback. "Well, I love you."

He watched her for one long moment as she chewed her lower lip. Finally she asked, "Charlie, am I your girlfriend?"

He'd thought she was. But if she hadn't known… "Do you want to be?"

"Yes," she said earnestly.

He'd smiled at that, a soft warmth filling his belly. He leaned down to kiss her a second time, too happy to resist, and then he'd repeated, "I love you, see you tomorrow."

The look on her face after that was one he'd never forget, for the rest of his life. If only he'd known that telling her he loved her would make her so happy, well, he would have done it long ago. From that day on he remembered to tell her every day, just because he never got enough of that unbelievably bright smile on her face when he did it.

A lot of people seemed surprised when they realized that Charlie and Laney were together, and sometimes they'd ask him – how had he landed a girl like that? The lucky dog. And he would frown and tell them that yes, of course he was lucky, but what did they mean, how? He and Laney loved each other, what else was there to it?

And oh, did he love her. He loved every minute he spent listening to her talk about things she loved – inventions, animals, astronomy, chemistry, books, anything that was on her mind. He loved, too, when she stopped and listened to him, even when he was chatting about things he knew she wasn't entirely convinced about – zombies, ghosts, vampires. He loved that she was happy to talk to him about his interests, even when she didn't really share them. He loved the days when he simply couldn't stop marvelling at how amazingly clever she was.

He loved her tiny stature, and the way sometimes she would stand on his feet or get up on her tiptoes just to be close to his height. He loved hoisting her into the air so they could be nose-to-nose. He loved that she was little enough to scoop up in his arms or pull onto his back and carry around. And he absolutely loved trapping her beneath him so that he could tickle her and kiss her face and listen to that wonderful giggle of hers.

He loved kissing her and hugging her and holding her hand; he loved being her big spoon while they watched a movie about alien attacks or a documentary about marine biology. He loved when she played with his hair. He loved when she kissed him first or told him how much she loved him. He loved when she stepped into view and was, for a moment, the only thing he could see at all. He loved the way she got along with his parents. He loved when she surprised him with brownies or cupcakes.

More than anything, he loved her.

How had Charlie McGuinness fallen in love with Laney Nielsen?

Well, that was a hard question to answer.


End file.
